Frederic Normand won the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better event at the 2026 World Series of Poker, claiming his first gold bracelet and a $235,337 first-place prize. With this victory, the French-Canadian pro joined an exclusive group of tournament players with both a WSOP bracelet and a World Poker Tour title on his resume.
Normand outlasted a field of 1,093 entrants, claiming the biggest share of a $1,450,957 prize pool. In the process, Normand took down his second major live title, adding to his 2023 WPT bestbet Scramble championship triumph. He now has nearly $3.5 million in career scores to his name.
His latest victory came in a tournament format in which Normand claimed very little experience. Despite a lengthy record of results in PLO, and a single previous WSOP cash in Big O, Normand was still fairly new to this specific split-pot version of four-card poker.
His path to victory in the late stages of this tournament was also a major challenge. Normand was the chip leader to start the day, with 13 players left. But five of his seven opponents at the final table had at least one bracelet win on their resume. Josh Arieh, a seven-time bracelet winner, stood out among the pack. As has been the case for several standout tournament players thus far at the 2026 WSOP, though, a big milestone bracelet eluded Arieh on this occasion.
Watching The Chips Fly
The chip lead bounced between Normand and Michael Rodrigues early at the final table, as big pots started to pile up. Arieh, who was one of the shortest stacks to start eight-handed play, followed a double-up with the first elimination of the final table. His A♠J♠3♦2♦ flopped the nut low and rivered the nut flush to destroy Tobias Hausen’s A♥A♦4♣3♥ and send him home in eighth place ($23,602).
Josh Arieh
That pot pulled Arieh up towards the lead pack, though he’d slip back to the middle after splitting or losing in a series of all-ins. Arieh was once again involved when Jordan Polk was at risk, as was Normand. By the river of a K♥9♣7♥6♠J♦ runout, there was no low, and Normand’s two pair, jacks and sevens, scooped the pot to eliminate Polk in seventh place ($31,117).
From that point on, it became a whirlwind of action, and in less than three hours, the tournament went from six-handed to a champion. Normand’s stack started a rapid upward trajectory and then swelled further after a big clash with Rocky Paradise. Normand had a world of outs, holding A♣K♦5♠4♠ against Paradise’s A♦Q♠Q♥2♦ on an A♠7♥2♠ flop. Normand made his spade flush on the 9♠ turn, and that was enough to knock Paradise out in sixth place ($41,688).
At that point, Normand had almost three times as many chips as Arieh, who sat in second chip position. Two-time bracelet winner Dennis Weiss then went out in fifth place ($56,738) when his 4♥4♣3♣3♦ failed to improve on the high end or make a low against a hand that would become a full house, aces full of kings, for Rodrigues.
Closing It Out
Normand added another elimination to his tally when he busted Ryan Hansen in fourth place ($78,430). Hansen’s Q♠Q♥8♥3♠ didn’t connect directly with the board, and Normand’s A♥A♦9♦7♠ won with a pair of aces and a flopped seven low. Arieh’s hopes of an eighth bracelet were dashed by Normand, too. The chips got in on an A♥K♦9♣, and while Arieh’s two pair with K♣Q♦J♠9♠ was ahead, Normand had outs with his A♠10♣6♠4♦.
Normand made a superior two pair on the 4♥ turn, leaving Arieh with seven outs to survive, and the 5♦ of the river wasn’t enough. Arieh was out in third place ($110,085). This score pushed the 2004 WSOP main event third-place finisher’s career earnings past $15.2 million.
Normand had a lead of almost 5:1 to start heads-up play against Rodrigues, and their match lasted exactly one hand. Both players smashed a Q♦J♦9♠ flop, with Normand flopping a straight, and Rodrigues making a set of nines. Rodrigues made another set on the 8♠ turn, but it only added one out for him. A blank on the river secured a dominant victory for Normand. For the second time in his career in this exact WSOP tournament, Rodrigues finished in second place.
Along with his bracelet and six-figure payday, Normand also earned 960 Card Player Player of the Year points. That increased his total for the year to 1,632 POY points, positioning him just outside the top 100 in the yearlong race presented by CoinPoker.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Frederic Normand | $235,377 | 960 |
| 2 | Michael Rodrigues | $156,863 | 800 |
| 3 | Josh Arieh | $110,085 | 640 |
| 4 | Ryan Hansen | $78,430 | 480 |
| 5 | Dennis Weiss | $56,738 | 400 |
| 6 | Rocky Paradise | $41,688 | 320 |
| 7 | Jordan Polk | $31,117 | 240 |
| 8 | Tobias Hausen | $23,602 | 160 |
Photo credit: WSOP/Miguel Cortes, Lennart Hennig
